Wednesday, September 29, 2010

In Memorium: Tony Curtis

Oscar-nominated movie star, Tony Curtis has passed away at the age of 85. Curtis is best known for romantic leads in humorous movies or dramatic films such as Some Like It Hot, The Defiant Ones, Sweet Smell of Success, Operation Petticoat and Spartacus.

Since this is a comics-oriented blog, the Catacombs would also like to salute Mr. Curtis for a few choice genre roles in classics like Houdini (1953), The Purple Mask (1955; sort of a Scarlet Pimpernel role), The Vikings (1958), The Boston Strangler (1968; pictured above-top), The Persuaders (1971-1972; TV series), The Manitou (1978), and The Mummy Lives (1993).

With his first wife (the late Janet Leigh) Curtis was the estranged father of actress Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween).

The Catacombs extends its heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and many worldwide fans. They just don't make them like Tony Curtis anymore!

How it all began ....

In 1933, publishers at Eastern Color Press, intent to make better use of their printing equipment (which frequently sat idle between jobs), came up with the idea of printing an 8-page comic section that could be folded down from the large broadsheet to a smaller 9-inch by 12-inch format. The result was the first modern comic book. Containing reprints of newspaper comic strips, this experimental comic book titled "Funnies On Parade" was given away for free. It proved so popular that the following year Eastern published "Famous Funnies" and took the bold step of selling the comic for ten cents through chain stores. The enterprise was a smashing success and Eastern began churning out numerous reprints on a monthly basis. Other publishers, eager to get in on the profits, jumped on the bandwagon and the comic book industry was born!